boy to whom it belonged chanced to see him. "Ah ha, my
little Tom Thumb!" said the boy, "have I caught you at your bad tricks
at last? Now I will reward you for thieving." Then drawing the string
tight round his neck, and shaking the bag heartily, the cherry stones
bruised Tom's legs, thighs, and body sadly; which made him beg to be let
out, and promise never to be guilty of such things any more. Shortly
afterwards, Tom's mother was making a batter pudding, and, that he might
see how she mixed it, he climbed on the edge of the bowl; but his foot
happening to slip, he fell over head and ears into the batter, and his
mother not observing him, stirred him into the pudding, and popped him
into the pot to boil. The hot water made Tom kick and struggle; and his
mother, seeing the pudding jump up and down in such a furious manner,
thought it was bewitched; and a tinker coming by just at the time, she
quickly gave him the pudding, who put it into his budget and walked on.

As soon as Tom could get the batter out of his mouth, he began to cry
aloud; which so frightened the poor tinker, that he flung the pudding
over the hedge, and ran away from it as fast as he could run. The
pudding being broken to pieces by the fall, Tom was released, and walked
home to his mother, who gave him a kiss and put him to bed. Tom Thumb's
mother once took him with her when she went to milk the cow; and it
being a very windy day, she tied him with a needleful of thread to a
thistle, that he might not be blown away. The cow liking his oak leaf
hat took him and the thistle up at one mouthful. While the cow chewed
the thistle, Tom, terrified at her great teeth, which seemed ready to
crush him to pieces, roared, "Mother, Mother!" as loud as he could bawl.
"Where are you, Tommy, my dear Tommy?" said the mother. "Here, mother,
here in the red cow's mouth." The mother began to cry and wring her
hands; but the cow surprised at such odd noises in her throat, opened
her mouth and let him drop out. His mother clapped him into her apron,
and ran home with him. Tom's father made him a whip of a barley straw to
drive the cattle with, and being one day in the field, he slipped into a
deep furrow. A raven flying over, picked him up with a grain of corn,
and flew with him to the top of a giant's castle, by the seaside, where
he left him; and old Grumbo the giant, coming soon after to walk upon
his terrace, swallowed Tom like a pill, clothes and all. Tom presently
made